PixlBit

Good morning and Happy Monday to you good people. It is a windy morning here in Southern California and the streets are full of RV’s leaving the area because the last music festival of the year is over and this is when everyone is headed back to reality, and I avoid the streets as much as possible. Of course I also have to run errands but I am holding back on those for later. So today I thought it would be fun to do a combo Gaming on the Cheap/Quick Hits because I didn’t get around to it last week because I got caught up in the NFL Draft. I watch the dang thing every single year, and this year is no different, except at times I played some NCAA Football and had the draft going on my phone. Anyways let’s get started!

Gaming On The Cheap

Marvel Strike Force - iOS

 

I was listening to CAGcast last week when Wombat was talking about this game. Usually he has some decent finds so I tried this out and I like it. Strike Force is a Freemium game that is turn based battles with characters from the Marvel Universe. Now Marvel has had a couple of iOS games like this in the past but this one I liked because it was easy to play and a lot of the multiplayer stuff had to be unlocked and the Freemium cap is more forgiving.

 

There is your usual Campaign where the Freemium cap comes into play (certain amount of X lets you play a round, once you run out you wait for it to refill, you know the drill) The story is ok, but I usually skip the cut scenes because I really don’t care. After completing the first 10 missions a new storyline is unlocked for the villains. Winning each mission earns you various upgrades and items needed for stronger add-ons as well as shards of characters. Collect enough shards and you can recruit the character to your team. You also earn XP and collecting a certain number of XP you move up in Level. With each level increase you can train your recruits to make them stronger, unlock more options for them, and unlock different gameplay modes. After playing on and off for two days I am currently at Level 19 and I have unlocked text chat, with the ability to pick a username (don’t use), a VS mode where you take on another player’s team, Bonus level where it’s another storyline but better rewards, and a couple of other fun stuff.

 

Marvel Strike Force offers a lot for a Freemium game. It is an enjoyable game to play in bursts, there are tons of stuff to unlock, and freebies to earn. I refuse to spend any real money on this game and if/when the time comes where I am stuck and the only way to get passed it is to spend some actual real world cash the game is going to be uninstalled, but for right now it will happily live on my iPad.

 

Quick Hits

Chris Watches…

WWE Greatest Royal Rumble - WWE Network

Last Friday at 8am Pacific, there was a Pay Per View from Saudi Arabia (which is why I was watching at 8am). It was billed as this great wrestling event, and ran for 6 hours. The one drawback was that it didn’t include the entire roster. See the WWE did not bring their female superstars because the powers in charge didn’t want to see women wrestle. I get local customs and all that good stuff, but for a company to brag about their “Women’s Revolution” a year or two ago,and leave this part of the roster,  female reporters and announcers at home, it doesn’t look good.

The actual card for this event wasn’t bad, there were some points when I checked out and I was reading Twitter but for the most part it was a fun watch. The WWE needs to end this Brock Lesnar/Roman Reigns stuff because it’s boring, one sided, and I really don’t have a rooting interest in a guy who’s never on TV, and the other guy who the company is trying to get over so bad but just isn’t working. The main event was the Royal Rumbe and this time 50 wrestlers took part. There were some old favorites, the current roster, and a couple from NXT, the WWE’s Developmental Brand. The most memorable part was this

Titus O’Neil’s entrance. This had the announcers dying and someone in the back thought it was hilarious and kept replaying it during the event.

 

Billions - Showtime

This is the best show on TV and this season is almost over. You should root for the good guy but I’m rooting for the bad guy, especially when the good guy is just as dirty as the bad guy. Each week it’s like a big fight where one side seems to get momentum and then the next week it reverses. This is going on while the second in command characters seem to be forging their own path which you know will eventually take over once the two main characters ultimately self destruct. I haven’t been this excited for Sunday Nights since Game of Thrones.

 

Chris Reviews Stuff

At some point between my cousin’s wedding and right now I can’t seem to find my favorite wired headphones. I went to Best Buy to buy the newer version but when they’re $70 and they are going to most likely sit in my pocket, and only be used when my Bluetooth earbuds die, I really can’t justify that so I went with a cheaper option from China, the Actionpie High Resolution Heavy Bass for Android (VJJB-VIS). Now I went with Android because when not in the pocket I would probably use these on the pre-paid phone I bought awhile back that I have turned into a solid MP3 player that I can sync with iTunes (with a little help from a program called iSyncr). When I would use these with my iPhone it will be music/podcast only and let’s be honest 80% of my communicating now is via text. Anyways for $20 and free two-day shipping from Prime I got my temporary replacement headphones

 

The swanky box

 

The internals are some info that doesn’t get read, and not one but two carry cases for the headphones. An imitation carbon fiber hard shell, and a cloth pouch. I bought a nice zippered earbud pouch so I won’t be using either of the provided cases.

 

A bunch of different ear tips. The interesting thing is that there is one set of foam ear tips included which are nice but too big for my ears. I tried the replacements I bought for my old Beats Powerbeats earbuds but I didn’t like the feel so I went with the smaller tips and they work.

 

A shot of the earbud. It has twin drivers in a clear case.

 

I have had them for a week and I used to on the laptop, my phone, and the Android MP3 Player and for $20 it isn’t bad. The Bass is strong but really isn’t detailed. You get the thump like Beats, but it is not as crisp as higher priced earbuds. Mids and Highs are fine, but again not as crisp, but for $20 this is what you are getting. The overall sound is V shaped and at times when I use the Less Bass feature on my devices I get a really solid sound from these little guys.

For $20 these are solid earbuds and a nice altnerative to the ones you can find at a Target or Walmart for the same price. They’re not audiophile earbuds by any means but for listening to podcasts, and music on your phone they’re fine.

 

Other Pickups

A couple of weeks ago SDSU announced that it was joining the Jordan Brand for basketball which is huge for someone like myself who grew up watching Michael Jordan, and loving the shoes. Having the Jumpman on SDSU gear is awesome and I bought a couple of shirts

 

I’ll buy more once the Campus Bookstore has their coupons or sales (hoping for right around Graduation time in a couple of weeks)

 

Alright Pixlpeeps I am off. Apparently the transponder on the truck needs to be replaced because the neighborhood changed the receiver on the gate I normally use and didn’t tell anyone. Hopefully they don’t make me pay for a new one. Anyways have a good week!

 

That’s all for now, more later!

-Chris